tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85864448197756216372017-09-26T06:11:46.976-04:00GERALD ALCH: I WUZ THINKIN'REFLECTIONS.
FOR I BELIEVE WE HAVE TWO LIVES: THE ONE WE LEARN WITH AND THE ONE WE LIVE AFTER THAT.GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.comBlogger214125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-36333387727631980672017-08-17T13:04:00.000-04:002017-08-17T13:04:01.420-04:00STEMMING FROM THE TOPAll of a sudden (it seems) terrorist attacks are occurring at people-gathering-spots in cities over the world. Too often to not in some way be connected.<br /><br />Something new is infesting our streets. An alarm is sounding everywhere. These incidents are being ignited by an implicit driving force. Where's the spark coming from ?<br /><br />There's an unhealthy atmosphere spreading over the world, appealing to and nurturing upon the bad basic instincts in men who harbor poison in their souls. Heretofore kept in check or restrained by covertness, something is transmitting to them a green light.<br /><br />This cannot go unchecked. IT COMES FROM THE TOP.<br /><br />Soon, political and judicial machinery will instigate corrective measures to abort the negative lode.<br /><br />It abides in a house painted white.GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-50858145467560097452017-08-13T01:57:00.001-04:002017-08-13T01:57:12.983-04:00BITING HIS NOSE TO SPITE HIS FACEDoesn't Potus realize that those responsible for the shameful misconduct in Virginia are HIS PEOPLE, HIS BASE. His remarks lump all those present at the "rally" as one misguided group. Not so. The instigators of violence are those who chanted "lock her up" all through the campaign. Trump's election has understandably &nbsp;emboldened them because their man won and all they're doing is spreading his mantra wherever it lands.<br /><br />This is serious stuff. With the exception of the Iraq war, predicated upon WMD WHICH DIDN'T EXIST, no other Potus has been so reckless in referencing the start of nuclear confrontation. Does he not realize that these nuclear weapons have not been purchased from TOY'S ARE US and are therefore not his to play with?<br /><br />Trump is in over his head--way over. Is he surrounded by people who have the knowledge and the COURAGE AND THE SUPPORT to watch Potus closely and to step up and in to physically restrain Potus should his unbalanced chromosomes cause him to play with the wrong toy in an attempt to quell a perceived threat?<br /><br />Present circumstances mandate his being watched and monitored as he becomes Billy The Kid and begins to shoot recklessly, thereby inviting the worst scenario. Potus must be supervised by men smarter than him and with the power to stop him when necessary. The after-the-fact judicial review would come after the crisis had subsided and the world is in a safer position.<br /><br />There are good people out there, ready to interpret and enforce the rule of law to which we are all subservient. That will come, as the pieces are picked up and put away.<br /><br />The Black Box must be in safer, saner hands--ASAP--so that a sense of calm order returns to its usual seat and the world's sleep rate returns to normalcy.<br /><br />As many prophesied, Trump will bring himself down if he is appropriately guided.<br /><br />Maybe he could be appointed Director of WHITE HOUSE FAMILY AFFAIRS AT WHICH HE PRESIDES OVER HIS FAMILY'S DISPUTES AMD REPORTS ONLY TO HIMSELF.<br /><br />I mean--look--how could he hurt the national interest from that post? The only membership requirement is that you be a family member through natural propagation or adoption or by rules promulgated by THE DIRECTOR.<br /><br />GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-15407663399205266962017-08-06T13:43:00.001-04:002017-08-06T13:43:50.113-04:001941 DEJA VUSanctions against North Korea are being ratcheted up in retaliation for that country's nuclear ambitions.<br /><br />Let's be careful. North Korea's man at the helm is a certified cuckoo who cannot be expected to react in anything approaching reasonably expected conduct.<br /><br />Hearken back to 1941. Japan's Pearl Harbor attack was blamed, in part, on the economic sanctions promulgated by the U.S. which were deemed to be suffocatingly unreasonable.<br /><br />Let's make sure to evaluate all potential nutcake moves that N.K. might grasp at.<br /><br />There are no men of sound mind at play here.<br /><br /><br />GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-74938763166023893962017-08-06T04:14:00.001-04:002017-08-06T04:14:08.178-04:00THE NAME OF THE GAMEI WAS THREE MONTHS SHY OF BEING THIRTEEN. MY DAD WAS A SALESMAN IN THE DREGS OF MEAN AND LEAN TIMES. FOOD AND CLOTHING WERE NOT AUTOMATIC EASY-TO-COME-BY STAPLES. WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN REGULAR ITEMS WERE NOW IN THE LUXURY POCKET. MY DAD WOULD COME HOME AT THE END OF EACH WORKDAY WITH LESS IN HIS POCKET THAN IN THE MORNING.<br /><br />ONE NIGHT, MY UNCLE APPEARED WITH A LONG FACE AND STILTED SPEECH AND HE WENT HEAD TO HEAD WITH MY DAD IN A CORNER OF WHAT WAS SERVING AS A "LIVING ROOM". I MANAGED TO SL<br /><br />IDE ONTO A UNFOLDED, UNNOTICED BRIDGE-CHAIR.<br /><br />AFTER SOME SHORT AND VERY AWKWARD SMALL TALK, MY UNCLE PRODUCED FROM HIS POCKET A FOLDED $50 BILL AND PUT IT IN MY DAD'S HAND. "THIS IS ALL I .<br />CAN DO".<br /><br />MY DAD SAID NOTHING. JUST LOOKED AT THE BILL FOR AGONIZING SECONDS AND THEN SUDDENLY BURST INTO TEARS WHICH WERE FULL OF PAIN AND ANGUISH AND WOE. NO WORDS WERE NECESSARY. MY UNCLE FOLLOWED SUIT AS I WITNESSED TWO GROWN MEN CRYING INCONSOLABLY. YOUNG AS I WAS, WHAT WAS HAPPENING WAS AN EASILY DECIPHERABLE PLATEAU OF MISERY.<br /><br />I HAD NEVER SEEN MY DAD CRY BEFORE, WITH SOBS THAT SEEMED TO WRACK HIS SOUL. THANKFULLY, I NEVER DID AGAIN FOR THAT TABLEAU MADE A LASTING IMPRINT.<br /><br />THE TWO BOTTOM LINES IN LIFE: HEALTH AND FINANCIAL SECURITY. THE FIRST NOT ENTIRELY WITHIN ONE'S CONTROL; THE SECOND BUILT UPON SMARTS AND GOOD OLD-FASHIONED LUCK.<br /><br />ADD ON: THE ABILITY TO TAKE AND RIDE WITH A PUNCH.<br /><br />GOOD THINGS DO NOT ALWAYS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE.GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-20499083631368678902017-08-03T20:53:00.000-04:002017-08-04T14:45:02.252-04:00LOOK WHO'S AT THE HELMSI'M FRIGHTENED.<br /><br />THAT'S NOT EXACTLY GROUNDSHAKING, &nbsp;GIVEN THE LIMITED, AND CONSISTENTLY DECLINING BRAINPOWER THAT I POSSESS. IT IS, HOWEVER, A VOTE BY ONE PEAPOD IN REGISTERING SINCERE ALARM AT LOOK WHO'SE DRIVING THE BUS THESE DAYS.<br /><br />IF WE'RE NOT LIVING A DREAM, THEN WE OUGHTABEE. JUST HARK AT WHAT'S GOING ON.<br /><br />OUR COUNTRY IS IMMERSED IN CHAOS. THE HERETOFORE VENERABLE WEST WING RESEMBLES A HALLOWEEN MUSEUM DESIGNED TO SCARE YOU WITH EVERY STEP YOU TAKE. NOBODY HAS A COMPASS. STAFF PEOPLE COME AND GO WITH PRAISE FOLLOWED BY DAMNATION. NIECES AND NEPHEWS ADVISE UNCLE SAM WHOSE FAVORITE CIRCUS ACT ARE THE CLOWNS.<br /><br />THE WORLD AWAITS THE RESULT OF THE ULTIMATE CONTEST: ON ONE SIDE OF THE ARENA SITS A JOLLY ROUND ROLLY-POLLY WHO SPORTS A PENITENTIARY HAIRCUT WHICH USUALLY SIGNIFIES A WALK TO THE CHAIR AND WHO CLAPS HIS HANDS WITH GLEE WHEN HE IS AFFORDED ANOTHER HELPING OF COTTON CANDY. HE INVITES LAUGHTER EXCEPT FOR THE MEANIES WHO SURROUND HIM WITH MISSILES AT THE READY.<br /><br />AT THE OTHER END OF THIS NUTHOUSE ARENA IS OUR BOY WHOM WE HAVE ELECTED TO SAVE AND PROTECT US. HIS BOOSTING THE ECONOMY IS DEMONSTRATED BY THE LIGHTENING-STRIKE MARKET JUMP IN ALL STOCKS WHICH TAN YOUR SKIN AND HAIR IN VARIOUS DEGREES OF ORANGE. WHY SHOULD HE BE UNSETTLED AT HIS ADVERSARY'S RATTLING OF NUCLEAR MISSILES WHEN HE'S GOT THE START OF WORLD WAR 111 UP HIS SLEEVE?<br /><br />NEVERTHELESS, I CLING TO THE HOPE THAT THERE'S ENOUGH GAS IN THE TANK OF REASONABLENESS SO AS TO ALLOW THE JUDICIAL PROCESS TO MANIFEST ITSELF.<br /><br />ROBERT MUELLER IS NOT ASLEEP. HE'S HARD AT WORK GATHERING EVIDENCE SUFFICIENT TO WARRANT IMPEACHMENT OR RESIGNATION PROCEEDINGS, ALL IN TIME FOR THE SHIP TO RIGHT ITSELF---AGAIN---AND PEOPLE WILL USE THEIR HEADS TO THINK WITH, NOT TO WALK ON.<br /><br />PLEASE, LET SENATOR MCCAIN BE AROUND TO SEE THIS HAPPEN.<br /><br />AMEN.<br /><br />GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-54536552420340991952017-07-18T21:26:00.000-04:002017-07-19T05:07:28.831-04:00THE NEEDWhen you begin a visit with your main doctor-man, you often wonder why he always inquires as to your mental health. Ho-hum, ho-hum.<br /><br />You were young then and full of piss and vinegar, rarin' to go, penis at the ready. The thought that you could sometimes finish a day by inundating yourself with penetrating questions which mandated that you go back in time--way back--and relive the crucial moments of your life and ask "what if"a different move on your part could have--would have--resulted in a different ballgame for you. No regrets, necessarily, just a reconsideration of what might have been if fate had dealt you other cards.<br /><br />You've had a good ride and that's what makes looking back and going back in a different direction at the crossroads reveals oh' what could have been with just a twist of the dial.<br /><br />Innocent second-guessing is all except for a tinge of who knows how taking another turn could have altered my life. And would this alteration have been good? Does good mean better?<br /><br />This exercise is tricky and slightly dangerous because it tempts you to relive your life into the might-have-been-world where, sitting in your looking-back chair, anything can happen and oh, where would you be now if-if-if?<br /><br />Because, let's face it--when moods like this descend upon you, the move you didn't make seems to always turn the neighbor's grass greener.<br /><br />Yes, you miss the action, the spotlight, the newspaper headlines, the juice that filled you up, the drinks that warmed your soul and assured you that this was your time and you were the king.<br /><br />And maybe that's why these journeys into the past are thrilling but not to be taken lightly.<br /><br />This is serious stuff because it emphasizes the need for inner strength, the need for self confidence, and, always, the need for friendship loaded with warm memories.<br /><br />And, most of all,--most of all--MOST OF ALL--,the need for love, real and imagined (had you gone the other way,dig?)<br /><br />THE NEED FOR A PAT ON THE BACK, THE NEED FOR A CONSOLATORY EMISSARY FROM THE PAST OF EVERYTHING, AND, MOST OF ALL, THE NEED FOR LOVE.<br /><br />MOST OF ALL, THE NEED FOR LOVE.<br /><br />WHAT YOU'VE GOT LEFT ON THE ROAD TO BE STILL TRAVELLED HAS JUST DOUBLED, AT LEAST.<br /><br />SLEEP HAS BECOME A COOL THING AS YOU BEGIN TO LOOK FORWARD TO THE SUNRISE.<br /><br />AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW?<br /><br />THE HIGH-TEST IN YOUR GASOLINE IS LOVE.<br /><br />THE NEED FOR LOVE.<br /><br />So, get up from your beloved chair and stop wrestling with karma. Tis another day and you're in the race to control it. You're in the select class of being able to walk around in your 80's. That's because, like it or not, you're getting enough, at least enough, of your oxygen, of love coming your way.<br /><br />And there's more to come.<br /><br />The light is still on green.<br /><br />You're still a player. And lucky at that.<br /><br />You're getting what you need.GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-53108821872631946642017-07-13T17:41:00.001-04:002017-07-13T18:10:16.743-04:00REEL vs REALTriumph vs Sadness. Are these phenomena discoverable prior to reality, affording us the opportunity to accept or avoid ?<br /><br />How long can passion be sustained? What happens when it dies? How does one go about finding it again? Should one even try?<br /><br />Does a marriage with respect but without good sex have any reasonable life expectancy ? Or are we in the realm of oxymorons?<br /><br />Great sex is a must--a marital minimum for the marriage to have any shot at all. Without it, the union is destined for doom.<br /><br />Moments of passion are the indispensable keys. There are the big ones that make us soar to the heavens with abandon (like extraordinary sex, get it?) the kind that makes one's head spin and makes life seem worth living. And then there are the small ones that, even for just a moment, take your breath away: a perfectly prepared meal, a fine glass of wine that warms the insides the way it was meant to. Even a moment of tension, of suspense (as long as it all turns out all right and we live to tell the tale over and over again) takes you there.<br /><br />Real life or what we experience vicariously in the movies--we're still dealing with kicks of emotion.<br /><br />Good living. The occasional self-indulgent vacation. The infrequent expensive gift that makes no economic sense whatsoever. It feels good when one splurges.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the meal ends, the glass of wine empties, the orgasm subsides and the bill shows up.<br /><br />Most of us don't attempt to live our whole lives on clouds of euphoria, always looking for something bigger and better in life, never, ever satisfied. For most of us, the time comes when we settle into something deeper and more meaningful.<br /><br />In the case of romance, it might be a relationship based on respect and admiration, common interests and shared history. If sex can last, more the better. The passion will probably dissipate.<br /><br />We settle. Most of us do. It's not so bad, or at least not as bad as it sounds. It's easier that way. It makes more sense.<br /><br />But, after 84 years and counting, take it from me:<br /><br />AS DUSK TAKES OVER, AND YOU DERIVE THE EVER-WELCOME PLEASURE OF MEMORIES, THE THINGS YOU RELIVE, IN EXQUISITE DETAIL, ARE THE EPISODES INVOLVING YOU AND A WOMAN. THE MOMENTS WHEN THE BELLS RANG, THE LIGHTENING STRUCK AND YOUR WORLD EVOLVED AROUND BEING IN LOVE. THE WHOLE 9 YARDS. THE FIRST MEETING WHEN YOU EXPERIENCED THE MAGIC CHEMISTRY OF FALLING IN LOVE, THE HEARTACHE AND GLORIOUS RECONCILIATION SO THAT EVERYTHING FELT RIGHT AGAIN, AND YOU SKIPPED INSTEAD OF WALKED. YOU COULDN'T FORSEE HOW MANY TIMES THIS WOULD HAPPEN TO YOU. IT DIDN'T MATTER, AS LONG AS IT HAPPENED AT LEAST ONCE.<br /><br />Oh, if you could go back in time, you would have done some things differently. But what a ride it was, and your heart was stronger for it.<br /><br />Romance, sex, love--call it what you will. Movies magnify life. They help you remember. If you have no memories, you're in trouble.<br /><br />And as I look back, it would have been a barren track if it wasn't for that old devil moon.<br /><br />Don't be still, my heart.<br /><br /><br />GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-51293657286950916882017-07-11T19:24:00.002-04:002017-07-11T19:24:14.306-04:00LEFT, RIGHT OR STRAIGHT AHEADEvery life has more than one crossroad to travail. For some, the temptation to sit and quit is too formidable and they exit the race of life. Others give up to wherever fate has planned for them with their compass aimed at indifference. But a strong yet stubborn few grab what they have and turn it into the "consequence for potential" category.<br /><br />They alchemize an exquisitely gentle but inherently determined sadness into gold. An inbred talent newly discovered but patiently waiting to be embraced as a positive factor in their lives.<br /><br />They take a first grasp at the baton they are handed with the determination of making it important.<br /><br />Somehow, some way, as the current flows by, a life preserver pulsates into your control, giving you another shot at everything. Change your gait from retaliation to capitulation. Try it. Got no choice. You do but you got no choice.<br /><br />You have met people whom you will never get out of your system nor will she (the cover is blown) ever get you out of hers.<br /><br />THAT'S LIFE.<br /><br />Don't stop the world. You don't want to get off.<br /><br />In the meantime, forget to remember.<br /><br /><br />GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-2980827898143775012017-07-09T05:06:00.000-04:002017-07-09T10:56:40.632-04:00HE CHOKED AT THE SITDOWNPOTUS was speeding headlong into an inevitable crash. You can't buy toys at a mano a mano.<br /><br />You first fill the air with bluster. Our leader is a cheerleader at a football game. But that's ok. The fans will soon forget that I ate my words and bit the bullet. I choked at the sit-down but its so much more fun to smile and laugh and have everything around you be so pretty.<br /><br />After all, what's at stake here?<br /><br />Just the whole friggin' world. As you walk away from the meeting, your rivals must muffle their handclaps and ask themselves,"do you believe what we just saw and heard? that's the leader of the free world!"<br /><br />FDR--JFK--OBAMA--HWBUSH--CHURCHILL--AIN'T NO ROOM FOR CIRCUSMASTER?<br /><br />What the hell? Ain't no fun being sad.<br /><br />Can I please have more cotton candy?<br /><br />His exit vehicle from Europe called for a barrel.GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-73776921491026621442017-07-09T04:28:00.000-04:002017-07-09T15:05:07.351-04:00THE TRUE LOVE OF A SOULMATECan we all plan on meeting our soulmate? Is there one person--or maybe two, gotta give the creator some leeway here--who was made to fit right in, hand in glove, and provide the ultimate simpatico, the result being the perfect couple ?<br /><br />I say "yes" and I believed that until now, as I begin my 84th year on earth. Now, I don't think so anymore. It can be a good run but immunization from defects, the key to it all, let me down with a thud, so I ain't a believer no more.<br /><br />To claim my credentials, when I was in my early teens, 12 or 13, kids, even then, I would often say aloud, "wouldn't it be great to spend your life with a woman whom you madly love?" Even today, that sums it up for me, but it's unattainable I conclude.<br /><br />You have a glorious pairing--bells, whistles, thunder and lightening--but, sooner or later, it falls apart---time being a factor, but an aggravating one. Keep in mind that I'm not referring to a 2-way street. This loosing one's footing more often knocks just one partner off the trail 'cause that's the way it is. My kind of love is all to itself. Peculiar and rarified stuff.<br /><br />It comes slowly, at first. After all, this was a lifetime deal. The road downhill is a subtle sonovagun. Little things, an unguarded look here, a mask of disappointment there. These telltale signs mask years of suppressed negative frustration unbeknownst to you which makes them all the more painful to accept and deal with when that fateful fork in the road blocks the road to emotional recovery<br /><br />The ferocious and maddening of the initial sex intimacies have long since faded but they have left love scars and scars are permanent. Where did I fuck up? Or did I fuck up ? There are 2 sets of hands in this mudpie, enough to easily accommodate more than 1 actor. So you sit and remember and follow the malicious intent trail. You're o.k. there. If anything, you win that ballgame because you are the romantic soul so she must be tougher, more in control of her emotional conduct. She was, in language and conduct completely inconsistent with the artistry of romance. As time has passed, you realize that you have been dealing with, and have been dealt by, a poker-faced &nbsp;mistress of ceremonies . Shove the convenient tears. Your hands are more than clean. Your being a softy doesn't always make you a winner. Your biggest problem is dealing with and getting over your problem.<br /><br />What should you take away from all of this?<br />Don't ever forget that staying true to yourself is the toughest challenge of all because the soulmate propaganda comes out of the same factory whose product keeps our grasses green<br /><br />When you look in the mirror, stand up straight. Don't look away. No need to. Being nice, through and through, will steer your ship quite nicely, thank you. Keep the verdict under wraps 'till the final curtain comes down.<br /><br />It takes two to Tango or even to argue.<br /><br /><br />GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-14112821313507801952017-06-20T20:26:00.000-04:002017-06-27T21:30:37.117-04:00BORN A SCHMUCKI never was a good fighter. It's not that I was afraid---. Oh yes it was---I was afraid---plenty, Tonto. The trick was to somehow hide this yellow streak, which ran from my eyebrow to my pubic hair, from every living being on the planet.<br /><br />Now, figure this out: for some reason, this crazy obsession worked its way in the reverse. That is, it brought trouble my way, causing frequent malfunctions of my bladder. Go figure, Sherlock!<br /><br />Wake up, you'll---I'm going on with the story.<br /><br />The scene :summer camp in New Hampshire-- a CO-ED camp-- and the gals were gorgeous. We were all in college so our ages were perfectly calibrated with the maximum performance capability of our respective sex organs. JISM CITY!<br /><br />Each night, after we put the campers to bed, we would drive to a nearby motel which featured a cool lounge and Sinatra juke box. I love this country!!<br /><br />In any conversation, the mention of the name WALLY would fetch the identical response: dread, fright, fear, horror, terror, impending doom, etc. etc. etc,,.. The reason for this was a human being in his mid-thirties, 6'6 feet tall whose body resembled the blended bodies of Superman, Batman and Mike Tyson, and whose face accurately reflected the destructive power the heavens had bestowed upon him. Wally was a killer. &nbsp;One story which had made the rounds had Wally sitting at the bar when a patron innocently asked if he could munch a few peanuts from the bowl resting at the killer's elbow. Wally did not answer with words. Instead, he established contact between his fist and the idiot--stranger's knuckles which were adorned in a cast for a substantial period of months.<br /><br />In my group walked, seven guys, five ladies--and we began to leisurely drink. I adore this land!<br /><br />Fifteen feet away from us, five burly men, saddling the breeze (look ma, I talk like a cowboy) and ordering a furious pace. They were all dressed alike: white t-shirts covering bulging yet menacing but rippling muscles, skin-tight jeans---can men sport musclebound assholes?--talking as if they were going to beat the shit out of who cares. Each one more curious than the other, except one who was more menacing then the others. The mother ship of bad mothers. He, unknown to most, was Wally.<br /><br />As we imbibed, I noticed Wally kept staring at one of the ladies at our table, getting so intense that it could not be ignored. Our guys began to lose all semblance of manhood. It was awkward city. Something bad was brewin'!<br /><br />And it was in that hell-about-to-explode cauldron, that I again announced to the world that I was the biggest putz of all.<br /><br />I swigged on my drink, yelled for Shane to come back, stared Wally in the eye, and barked,"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKING AT?"<br /><br />Have you ever seen grown men squirm for cover? Drop from their chairs and try to get under the rug? Begin to cry out for "MUMMY?"<br /><br />Not Wally, you haven't.<br /><br />He rose to a standing position, looked at yours truly and icily pronounced,"WHATSAMATTER, KID, YA NERVOUS?"<br /><br />I pissed in my pants.<br /><br />"YA NERVOUS, KID?"<br /><br />I shat myself.<br /><br />Wally approached, his outreached fist enabling contact.<br /><br />I'm not a praying man except for this time.<br /><br />"SAVE THE TEETH, LORD, SAVE THE TEETH."<br /><br />"ONE PUNCH TO CHANGE YOUR PRETTY FACE."<br /><br />'THE TEETH, LORD, THE TEETH."<br /><br />"YOU DON'T LIKE ME, I DON'T LIKE YOU"<br /><br />The monster speaks, and the truth, yet.<br /><br />"BUT THAT DON'T MEAN WE HAVE TO FIGHT ABOUT IT!!"<br /><br />If I cover his fist with my mouth, will he smell the scent of surrender?<br /><br />YES--HE DID! WE BECAME FRIENDS. HE BECAME MY PROTECTOR1<br /><br />I KEPT MY TEETH AND VOWED IN THE FUTURE TO KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT.<br /><br />NOBODY MESSED WITH ME FOR ALL THE SUMMERS TO COME.<br /><br />OOPS', THERE'S WALLY! TICKETS FOR THE MOVIES. WE'LL BE LATE IF I DON'T HURRY.<br /><br />BUT I AIN'T NERVOUS ANYMORE.<br /><br /><br />GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-84324227647487422102017-06-20T20:25:00.000-04:002017-06-20T20:25:10.708-04:00Even the name suggests a circus. "Captain Trump."<br /><br />Only this guy ain't kiddin'.<br /><br />Membership qualification is how low can you bow.<br /><br />But there's something more nauseously at play here, a beckoning to all who carry an{ imagined }<br /><br />inferiority complex as their cross t.o bear. There is an opportunity to ascend the ladder of physicality<br /><br />and improve the way you look. NO SURGERY REQUIRED!<br /><br /><br />I'm talking, people, about a study of NOSES who get the ringside seats at important events. The noses of nobility.<br /><br /><br />The Prez has the face of a pig. Swollen-almost-shut-eyes,but there. in the middle of this hodgepodge, sits a not-so-bad-proboscis. The out of context little girl nose engulfed by a puffy overblown face.<br /><br /><br />No pins allowed near the Prez.<br /><br /><br />What gives with Melania, the first &nbsp;lady, and Ivanka, married to Jared?<br /><br />NOSES DIVINE!<br /><br />GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-43987743560877517382016-11-07T18:42:00.001-05:002016-11-07T18:42:28.948-05:00THE VOTERS AWAKENIt's Monday, October 7, 2016, at2:56 pm. Write it down and feel free to look at it as often as you wish &nbsp;for it bespeaks the truth. You will be able to prove it countless times, for it affirms what I know will be the election result.<br /><br />Hillary Clinton is not going to just win but will rather deliver a knockout landslide swamping of her opponent. It took a while but the electorate just emerged from its self-induced coma and backed away from a fatal last step.<br /><br />It matters not how and why they were temporarily blinded for they dodged the curse. The world is right again and will not be so receptive should Trump clones present themselves in the future. We'll be smarter next time.<br /><br />Breathe easy. The ship of state has righted itself.<br /><br />Remember where you heard it first.<br /><br /><br />GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-60718325702018806072016-09-10T06:26:00.003-04:002016-09-10T06:46:54.128-04:00IT CAN'T BE, BUT IT ISAn examination of Donald Trump's thus far performance in the presidential race mandates the conclusion that he has amassed (as in "kiss my") an insurmountable lead.<br /><br />The man has shown himself to be a bully, an ignoramus, a schmuck, when he was born the doctor didn't know which end to slap, when asked whether the invasion of Hannibal caused the downfall of the Babylonian empire, his response was "it's beginning to look that way", when he purchased his first suit with two pairs of pants, he ripped the coat, if you knew Suzie like he knew Suzie, her father would be after you toozie, in Shakespeare &nbsp;, when asked to explain what Lady Macbeth meant when she bellowed,"Out damned spot" he claimed she was insisting that the dog leave the room, etc, etc, etc.....<br /><br />And yet, by all available polls, Ms. Clinton enjoys a very close but clearly declining lead in the sprint for the White House. How can this be and what does it portend for the future?<br /><br />I believe it reflects the same voter mentality upon which Trump's securing the nomination is predicated. The electorate is certifiable. It will vote for the candidate who tells them what they want to hear. This smacks of humor but is grounded in the idiocy of Doctor Strangelove. It ain't funny, folks, but we are standing at its edge.<br /><br />Will the public awake in time to realize the potential for disaster in a Trump presidency?<br /><br />If the debates don't do it, how can the national momentum right itself?<br /><br />I keep looking over my shoulder at what might come next from Ms. Clinton's email dilemma and take note of the fact that the other shoe of Benghazi is about to drop.<br /><br />Trump is now being trained by wily and savvy professionals. So far, his baggage is being discretely jettisoned.<br /><br />I am afraid.GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-82436150974176895272016-09-04T02:19:00.002-04:002016-09-04T02:19:57.285-04:00THE TEST IS YET TO COMEThe moment is at hand. No more wiggle room. The most damaging area that Trump can play against Clinton can no longer be submerged.<br /><br />Investigative documents released yesterday confirmed that Clinton had been extensively questioned &nbsp;about her judgement in using her private email system to discuss classified drone strikes and in allowing aides to destroy large numbers of emails before it was ultimately decided she should not face criminal charges. Her most often relied-upon defense was that she had deferred to the judgement of her State department aides when emailing her and could not recall anyone raising concerns with her regarding the sensitivity of the information she received at her email address.<br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;THE--- BOTTOM--- LINE<br /><br /><br />Clinton admitted mistakes--both procedural and substantive--in the way she handled her private email system. Indeed, the FBI acknowledged that it found no evidence of indictable misconduct, which requires criminal intent and her repository in this regard was barren.<br /><br />The GOP will be all over this. It shall devour it. Accordingly, the stage is now set for the ultimate mano v womano gut wrenching battle to end all constraint-free politico war grounds.<br /><br />Clinton has all the factual ammunition she needs. She could write 100 books on Trump's misdeeds and misspeaks. And remember, he who has no conscience is all the more vulnerable therefor.<br /><br />Trump, by what he says and what he does, provides much self-destructiveness. What Clinton should be wary of is the public perception of what she said and how she said it in her sworn testimony before the Justice Department's top counterintelligence officials.<br /><br />Things are going to get really rough now as the campaign enters the home stretch, punctuated by the presidential debates. Trump's campaign &nbsp;is now in the hands of savy politicos. We've got ourselves a horse race.<br /><br />What is the intent when a mistake is made? This calls for an objective analysis &nbsp;of a subjective state of mind. Not exactly a path clearly illuminated by definitive highway signs.<br /><br />When Trump says the things he'll do if elected , what is his state of mind? Patriotism or unacceptable manic interludes?<br /><br />Record the debates. You'll have a slice of history.<br /><br /><br /><br />GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-14718955666289201352016-08-27T20:53:00.002-04:002016-12-08T09:28:06.406-05:00THE WARM HOUSE I LIVED INI sat on the edge of the unmade bed. It was evening dark, ushering in shadows dripping in despair, complementing the mood of hopelessness which was engulfing me ,more and more as the light in the house grew dimmer with the advance of a clock, had there been one.<br /><div><br /></div><div>I was in my house or what would be for another day on which a sale would be consummated. My house. So many years of my family bonding together, sharing the divine warmth of everyone sleeping under the same roof, comforting each other even during sleep.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was that time in life when size of the house was deemed unnecessary and it seemed financially advisable &nbsp;to sell.</div><div><br /></div><div>I wanted to kiss every inch of its floors and reminisce about the wonderful events of which it would forever be a depository.</div><div><br /></div><div>The memories of the house were permeated with love and warmth and hugging and crying and laughter and all the good things that life could entail. It was a magic house, a fine and splendid magic house. It was a thing of beauty, tangibly and ethereally. Its warmth had not changed since my first encounter with it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was driving into work when a temporary detour caused me to drive by the house which sported a&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>"FOR SALE BY OWNER" SIGN. I wrote down the phone number and thought of nothing else all the day long. The next day, my alpha brain in high drive, I knocked on the magic door and introduced myself to the Madam, a lovely charming woman. I told her why I was there and she gave me a cook's tour. It was love at first sight.</div><div><br /></div><div>Every room beckoned with warmth, as if the sun would never go down and its purpose was my relaxation. The price was beyond my means but I knew I had to reach for it JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO TRY TO GO FOR IT since I had fallen in love.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today, even 55 years later, my son and daughter will tell the present owners of their connection to their home and they are greeted with friendship and allowed to examine the premises. I'm not strong enough for that. I'd never make it. Let my dreams nourish me.</div><div><br /></div><div>This post was not meant to be sad but happy endings are not always manageable.</div><div><br /></div><div>And my memories are non-tarnishable.</div><div><br /></div><div>My warm and happy memories.</div>GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-15744059541833072682016-08-21T13:16:00.001-04:002016-08-21T18:13:06.634-04:00APOLOGY ACCEPTEDThe words of Ryan Lochte to a not-so-impartial Matt Lauer rang of the truth. He sincerely acknowledged his missteps in a straightforward manner and missed no one with the broad sweep of his apologies.This is not, however, a benediction &nbsp;of his captors demanding money at gunpoint.<br /><br />He should have stayed with his companions but this is not a crime. It was a victimless error in judgement with booze paving the way, but when confronted with a loaded gun in a locus somewhat less reliable than the U.S. SUPREME COURT, getting out of there pronto-like gets my vote every time.<br /><br />Why doesn't Lauer procure an interview with the gun carrier, affording us a peek of the other side?<br /><br />We all make mistakes as we maneuver through our cocoon of human frailties. Stay tuned for developing evidence more fully capturing the atmosphere of what went down. The gun-toter v. the drunk converter of property aint no fair freeway from where I sit. If Lochte had sustained serious bodily injury, the sway of media presumptions would be 180 degrees from where they are now.<br /><br />Locate looked sincerely chastened &nbsp;and I for one buy it. The booze led him astray but he's not using this as an excuse for not rushing the gun holder and causing life threatening injury, or worse. No shots were fired. No punches were thrown. Lets try being cool here.<br /><br />He says he has learned his lesson.<br /><br />He deserves a chance to prove it.<br /><br />I say he already has.GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-43882542629574605722016-08-21T04:47:00.001-04:002016-08-21T04:47:08.443-04:00 A NEW DRUMBEAT FOR THE GOPStop the presses, put your ear to the ground and listen. There's a change in the machinations of our planet. Whether this is caused by the mood of the electorate or whether the voters are being influenced by a change in the rhythms is immaterial as far as the prognosis of the new thrust of the Trump mood.<br /><br />The savvy pros have finally put their hands on Trump's shoulders and administered a "no more outrageous crap----you read the lines we give you" or we walk away and let you return to your suicide run exposing your ineptness for the office you seek. And although its relatively early, IT WORKS! Speaking to minorities with words of reason which are delivered to him thirty seconds in teleprompter time, Trump's new shtick is a manifestation of everybody realizing that he can win this thing if he no longer carries his gun which shoots his feet and permeates his campaign with a cesspool aroma.<br /><br />"HERE'S WHAT YOU SAY AND HOW YOU SAY IT, AND WE'LL STRAIGHTEN OUT THE QUID PRO QUO IN THE BACK ROOM OF YOUR VICTORY PARTY."<br /><br /><br />Two things have happened concurrently: Trump nearly committed suicide during the week that was and the Elephant Starkers realized that somewhere in this empty head was the potential for a winner. And, don't look now, every day makes the stretched-out E-MAIL fiasco and the shadows of Benghazi more onerous and threatening to Ms. Clinton.<br /><br />This is going down to the wire, folks, with the first debate being crucial.<br /><br />Anything can happen (George W.)<br /><br />The Trump sons will resign from the Brown Shirt Party,<br /><br />Ms. Clinton will stop dodging these smoke and mirror accusations against her and meet them head-on, which she can do in dissipatory fashion<br />and will keep her husband away from airport tarmac secret meetings to discuss family matters and exchange photos of grandkids. &nbsp; &nbsp; <br /><br /><br />AND THEN, WE'LL ALL WALK WITH JULIUS ANSEL IN HIS MARCH TO WASHINGTON &nbsp;WITH THE VETERANS .<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-32221697322564097722016-08-06T17:39:00.000-04:002016-08-06T17:39:20.609-04:00THE HOME STRETCHHow did it come to pass that Donald Trump is the Republican nominee for President? Better suited for a comic movie, the notion is permeated with danger effecting our and future generations. But the door out is open, the road to redemption is simply resolved. Return to the origin and retrace steps taken but in a 180 fashion. &nbsp; REVERSE COURSE.<br /><br />Mob hysteria is both powerful and dangerous. The line dividing mass protests and public chaos is difficult to observe, let alone follow. But Humpty Dumpty provides a blueprint for redemption.<br /><br />Mr. Trump is imploding and his followers shake their heads more in defeat than in a realization of how close they came to a brush with the devil. Had Trump prevailed, his supporters would have become the vanquished, ruled over,domineeringly, by those who had been looked to for redemption.<br /><br />Does Hillary Clinton have baggage? Of course, but in any comparison test imaginable,<br />&nbsp;the tail of the other guy passes the bad line first.<br /><br />It aint over yet but a solution is in sight.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />A formal discussion on a particular topic in a public meeting in which opposing arguments are put forward.<br /><br />Grab the chips and the salsa sauce. The creation at hand is upon us.<br /><br />THE DEBATES DOTH COMETH.GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-73237070986491981972016-07-31T10:58:00.000-04:002016-07-31T10:59:06.776-04:00THE FLAW IN TESTING DEMOCRACYWhat if a majority of voters are unable or unwilling to admit, let alone consider, the possibility that Donald Trump is simply too screwy to be president? Do we all jump off a cliff tsk-tsk'ng on the way down about the number of red flags ignored along the way?After all, doesn't democracy mean the majority rules? Is this all a dream from which one cannot awake? Look into the faces of Trump supporters who are educated and reasonable in their quest for the best in life. THEY BELIEVE! THEY'RE READY TO DRINK THE KOOL-AID! They have been hypnotized to a place which bars the door to reason. It isn't necessary to touch the stove to realize the consequence of getting burnt.<br /><br />Trump tells his followers what they want to hear. So did Jim Jones,Mussolini and Hitler. The time for seeing through the smoke is narrowing.<br /><br />Hopefully, the pending debates will fine tune the blur into picture perfect clarity as shock waves which awaken proceed to dominate sensory principles grounded in the tenets of right and wrong.<br /><br />IT'S GETTING TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT.<br /><br />IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP BEFORE THE LAST TRAIN LEAVES BERLIN.GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-47164189039840133262016-07-30T13:55:00.000-04:002016-07-30T13:56:16.826-04:00TESTING DEMOCRACYAn election is looming, the importance of which must be understood and appreciated.<br /><br />An examination of both candidates' qualifications mandates the following conclusion:<br />The security of our nation would be fatally prevailed upon by the selection of Donald Trump as President.<br /><br />Enough with the gags and wisecracks. He represents a clear and present danger to wherever he touches upon. However, I am astonished at the number of his apparent supporters.<br /><br />The danger of the consequences of a Trump victory must be realized by these people before it's too late and their embryonic opinions have hardened. For the ultimate election result lies in the power of the electorate and the poll data are alarmingly close. Such is the process of a democracy.<br /><br />It will be too late to moan and groan when and if the Trump theories are practiced. Will the weeks remaining until election day provide enough time for reality to hit its mark?<br /><br />It is up to the voters, the citizens, the conglomerate of people registering their hopes and dreams, to establish the direction of our country.<br /><br />This is the essence of democracy.<br /><br />Will they embrace reason which, to others, is so clear?<br /><br />Will they make a bad dream crystallize into the comfort of clarity?<br /><br />Will they cast off misguidedness and do the right thing?<br /><br />Much is at stake.<br /><br />Basic values are at stake.<br /><br />Democracy is being ultimately tested.GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-85297825878393197662016-05-19T22:28:00.000-04:002016-05-19T22:28:02.679-04:00A FLY ON THE WALLAn honored journalist for forty-six years, then passing away one week after retiring<br /><br /><br />What was it like? Putting things in their proper order and rolling towards the lamp to put out the light?<br /><br />Morley Safer made it seem so predetermined, so inevitably controllable that eternal peace must be his forever now.<br /><br />What a wonderful life and career he carved for himself! His obsession with Earnest Hemingway cannot now be casually dismissed. Did his health decline so rapidly in those last weeks or was that a cover experience? What did he know that he so ingeniously choreographed? &nbsp;It seems too neat for real life.<br /><br />I salute him &nbsp;as &nbsp;one who lived and went out with style, having lived the fullest life possible. I have a feeling, however, that relevant circumstances will ultimately reveal themselves and light will be shed, not to disparage but rather to trumpet the way he chose to close the door.<br /><br />His kind of class is not so easy to extinguish.<br /><br />But, oh, to have been a fly on that wall.GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-19086709601157027232015-11-26T05:09:00.000-05:002015-11-26T05:09:16.051-05:00TOO BRIEF A RESPITEThe time is immaterial. The only pre-requisite is an awakening from sleep. No dreams are necessary. &nbsp;What is essential is an overabundance of real life stress, vastly in excess of the line of toleration.<div>It seems reasonable to conclude that your slumber was a self-imposed escape hatch as a desperate means to avoid implosion.</div><div><br /></div><div>When you first open your eyes, the sky is cloudless and all seems all right with the world. You stretch out a bit--physically--and then--damnit--mentally.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is impossible to come anywhere near specificity when a discernment of time is attempted before it happens. YOU REMEMBER.</div><div><br /></div><div>The "woes are me" come back, with a thud. Same problems, no answers, and the merry-go-round of misery re-engages your life.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, those few seconds of respite were delicious, but oh, so short. They were temporary breaks in the tensions at hand and perhaps linked to what is necessary to again face and deal with them.</div><div><br /></div><div>More probably than not, the saga's next chapter will be another pit stop at the service station of your mind as you arise from your self-induced moments of reprieve and prepare to slay the dragon.</div>GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-25539526887829086172015-11-07T17:43:00.001-05:002015-11-07T17:43:33.394-05:00EMPHATIC CONVICTIONIt's a bitch when your client is found guilty and sentenced to long hard time. Your first visit is double emotional trouble, for he equates you with the only light in the dark tunnel which engulfs him. He is Jonah in the whale.<br /><br />His face says it all: hopeless terror.<br /><br />You must somehow rise to the occasion and give him something to hang onto.<br /><br />You look into his eyes and speak as earnestly as you can. This is the bleak side of the business.<br /><br />"In truth, I can only try to imagine your despair. But I have already filed your appeal to the Appeal Court and, failing that, shall bring the matter to the Supreme Judicial Court, the highest court of the state. If relief is still not ours, I shall seek federal relief via &nbsp;Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus and am prepared to carry the issue forward to the United States Supreme Court via Petition for Writ of Certiorari. In short, sir, I swear to you that I shall leave no legal stone unturned in my efforts to free you."<br /><br />I paused, momentarily, hoping my words have delivered some degree of aid and comfort. I resumed.<br /><br />"In the meantime, however, I urge you to carry on with your plans to escape."<br /><br /><br />GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586444819775621637.post-88233196033812817032015-10-01T20:10:00.000-04:002015-10-01T20:10:00.223-04:00READY WHEN YOU ARE, C.B.One afternoon, the regulars gathered for their ritualistic get-together for the Mincha- Maariv daily service, when it was noticed that the rabbi looked particularly distressed and agitated. Word was passed that he had ben served with a subpoena to be a witness in an ongoing criminal federal trial and he found this to be most unsettling.<br /><br />"Let's give him a double shot of brandy and send him to court in a cab."<br /><br />This apparently had the desired effect for the rabbi seemed to have composed himself as he occupied a front row seat.<br /><br />At last, his name was called as the next witness and he confidently took the stand.<br /><br />When the judge took his measure, he especially noted his long gray beard, orthodox dress and long sideburns and said to his clerk, "I think we'll need an interpreter for this witness."<br /><br />The interpreter was sworn after which the rabbi indignantly looked up at the judge and intoned:"Your Honor, I want you to know that I graduated from Harvard College with honors and it was at that time that I commenced my rabbinical studies and I believe that it's quite obvious, from the very manner in which I am addressing the court, that there exists absolutely no necessity for an interpreter." He was sneering now.<br /><br />At this point, the interpreter turned to the judge and bellowed, "EHR HAT GEZOGT….."GERALD ALCHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07194468019647305692noreply@blogger.com0